Cultural fear
The 1992 L.A. riots that devastated not only parts of the city, but many Americans who thought racial tensions had declined, were a manifestation of cultural fear. Cultural fear is inherent in every culture, and can be defined as a fear which that culture holds towards another. In the case of the riots, it was a black fear that a white dominated judicial system had again discriminated against them, and this fear led to the general uprising in protest. While this protest manifested itself rather violently, other forms of protest exist in all cultures in a more subdued manner. These quieter protests can be seen where tension exists between the cultures. Cultural fear manifests itself where one culture is given reason to fear another, and is often expressed verbally as a way of protesting the cause of the fear. The protests do not serve just the function of a protest though. They also serve to act as a unifying form of expression around which the people in the culture can rally. They enumerate the fears of the people and help the culture define its fears. Sobek notes this when she explains several of the reasons that the Mexican immigrants write canciones and corridos. She claims the songs act as symbolic reflectio
Often the explicit statement of the fear is accompanied by a form of humor which renders the fear slightly less ominous. In the case of the songs which Sobek uses, many have elements of humor which attempt to make the border patrol appear foolish, or are about tricking someone only to be tricked in turn. In the Atlanta child murder rumors this element of humor is conspicuously absent, which is only natural considering the nature of the events. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ns of the struggles of the immigrants, in addition to being a platform via which they can express their concerns and fears. The songs are also motivational in their purpose, since they unify and try to convince the people to overcome the problem. Cultural fear is expressed in this protest, and is part of the motivation for the protest. ement community, and publicly accused several of the victim's own families, as well as pressed for the arrest of a black suspect. This brought about the reemergence of the FBI as an anti-black institution, which culminated in their inclusion in the oral rumors. Sobek talks briefly about how the corridos were used in the 1960's by Cesar Chavez to promote the workers' cause and help them unionize. This directly linked the songs with a form of protest, which has become a function of the songs ever since. It also stimulated the writing and producing of many more of the songs, and helped the songs gain a foothold as the "traditional form of expression." (89) What has happened in the case of the canciones and corridos is that the songs not only express the peoples fears, they also serve as a way of informing the other culture what those fears are, and help the Mexican immigrant to unify. The use of the rumors to help mobilize blacks throughout America is probably their greatest contribution. The fact that they renewed the traditional fears of the black community, and in some cases create new fears, acted as a driving force towards unification of the collective groups everywhere. The same impact was achieved when Cesar Chavez used the Mexican immigrants songs to promote the unionization efforts back in the 1960's. The songs served as a unifying medium by establishing the fears the people had, and giving them a point around which not only to rally, but also to express themselves.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2598
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)
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